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Wednesday, 6 April 2016

Battlegroup Kursk

Over the Easter weekend Victoria was away so I took the opportunity to have my first crack at Battlegroup Kursk with chum Steve.

Steve has an extensive collection of 20mm WWII toys, quite a few of which used to be my own, and there is more than enough for us.

From previous experience Steve suggested that we did not go mad and limited the forces available to about 500pts. We picked a Soviet force of two infantry platoons, each with a Maxim and a 45mm anti-tank gun, a platoon of 3 T-70, a platoon of 3 T-34, a platoon of 3 SU-76 and a battery of off-table 81mm mortars.

The Germans fielded an armoured Panzer-Grenadier platoon with a PaK40, a platoon of 3 StuG IIIF and a platoon of 3 Pz IIIL, these were supported by a battery of off-table 8cm mortars.

As it was my first go with the rules we decided to play the simple, corner-to-corner meeting engagement with escalating forces.

It was a couple of weeks ago and my memory is a bit hazy, but it was a great game which swung back and forth. My SU-76 battery managed to destroy one StuG and disable another before succumbing to the inevitable barrage of return fire. My T-34 swept majestically into the fray polishing off the StuGs before falling victim to the 50mm guns on the Panzers and to add insult to injury the 37mm on teh SdKfz251/10

My infantry was getting the better of it though and soon the Krauts were suffering, having lost three of their for HQ units they were really suffering to get off commands.

Having hidden my T-70's until all the 'big gun' threats were eliminated they swept down on the unfortunate Panzer-Grenadiers and mopped them up, the German morale crashed and it was a resounding victory to the Soviets.

From first impressions the Battlegroup rules seem to play very well although there is some 'clunkyness' especially regarding indirect fire. But, I'd be happy to play them again.

All the lovely terrain and figures is from Steves collection, nearly all my toys are now mid-Atlantic and I did not even have a tape or dice of my own!